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Robert Sanchez was the subject of praise from fans online following his performance during the FIFA Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on Sunday, July 13. The Spaniard was brilliant in goal for the Blues as they put PSG to the sword with a 3-0 win in New Jersey.
Prior to the match against PSG, Sanchez had featured in every Club World Cup match for Chelsea except the group game against Esperance. Contrary to popular expectations, it was the Blues who started the game strongly despite their underdog status. A brace from Cole Palmer and a goal from new signing Joao Pedro in the first 45 minutes were enough to help Chelsea become the first Club World Cup champions of the competition’s new era.
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Although Chelsea claimed the crown, PSG had more of the ball, but Sanchez was a different breed between the sticks, making a number of excellent saves to deny Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha, and Desire Doue. In addition to his shot-stopping, he turned heads with his ability to bait PSG’s press and spring attacks with his diagonal passes. Throughout his stint on the pitch, Sanchez made six saves, five of which came from inside the box.
Fans were thrilled with his performance and took to X (formerly Twitter) to heap praise on him.
An X user was surprised with the Spaniard’s display, prompting him to ask the question:
“When did Sanchez start taking his job seriously?”
Another apologized for his previous criticism of the goalkeeper, writing:
“Robert Sanchez, I apologize for everything I’ve said about you.”
A fan praised his showing:
“Sanchez is having an all timer, I know Mudryk gave him a bit of his supply,” they wrote.
Another called it his best performance in a Blues shirt:
“This is Sanchez's best performance in a Chelsea shirt too. Everything from his shot stopping to distribution, elite.” they asserted.
“Robert Sanchez, I will polish that bald head of yours for the rest of your time on this earth,” another chimed in.
“Who’s that GK on the pitch because this can’t be Sanchez??,” a fan asked.
“I usually say the opponent gives us a solution” – Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca on Robert Sanchez’s long balls
After the match, Enzo Maresca spoke about a tactical approach he used against PSG.As in previous matches, Luis Enrique’s team pressed high against Chelsea, thereby making it difficult for the west London club to build from the back. As such, Robert Sanchez had to play long balls from the back in certian situations, and it proved effective as the Spaniard picked out Malo Gusto to set up the first goal. Speaking on that, Maresca said (via One Football):
“About Robert, I usually say the opponent gives us the solution. If the opponent does what PSG does then we have to use long balls and clearances by the goalkeepers. It depends on what the opponents do.”
Sanchez joined the Blues from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023 for €23 million.
